Comments on: Third World’s The Charm (For Chrysler)

By: robertann

robertann — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:39:01 +0000

The government has managed the markets and the unions have put such pressure on the revenue there is no escaping the failure for Chrysler. I only hope Ford and GM do not end up in the same graveyard.

I wonder who will build US army vehicles CHINA?

By: thoots

thoots — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:55:44 +0000

NickR :

I am not a socialist, but the Daimler Chrysler deal is a prime example of capitalisms failings. That whole deal was a bust for Chrysler, as well as its employees, suppliers and customers. The people at Daimler who orchestrated this disaster escaped largely unscathed (retiring with a fortune qualifies as unscathed in my book), the investment banking parasites made a fortune, and some big shareholders that sold in time made good money too. But now a corporation is dead on its feet and thousands of people are going to get shafted and there is nothing they can do.

Absolutely. “The American Way” as we currently know it. See “Enron.” The rich walk away with massive wealth, while the working class lose absolutely everything.

But good golly, you sure couldn’t possibly consider REGULATING BUSINESS!! Lord, no!! We just need to make sure that homosexuals can’t marry each other, and then everything in this country will be perfectly fine.

That’s essentially the platform we’ll see in Minneapolis-Saint Paul next week, right?

Arrrgh, OK, apologies for getting political. Secretly, I enjoy getting reamed by Corporate America. Or, should I call it the one-tenth of one-percenters who actually run everything.

Oh, and don’t anyone worry for another minute about the US car companies. It just doesn’t matter if we turn up our noses at the best they can come up with — your government will give them your money, anyway. You just won’t get a new car in the bargain.

What a country!

By: NickR

NickR — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:09:24 +0000

grinchy has a point. I am not a socialist, but the Daimler Chrysler deal is a prime example of capitalisms failings. That whole deal was a bust for Chrysler, as well as its employees, suppliers and customers. The people at Daimler who orchestrated this disaster escaped largely unscathed (retiring with a fortune qualifies as unscathed in my book), the investment banking parasites made a fortune, and some big shareholders that sold in time made good money too. But now a corporation is dead on its feet and thousands of people are going to get shafted and there is nothing they can do.

By: grinchy

grinchy — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:56:53 +0000

What is a big part of the problem today with automotive types like Chrysler, is too many people are bitchers & complainers! Yeah go buy a Toyota (I guess buying into that PR machine). Chrysler had less recalls than Toyota did in 2006 or 2007, but that did not make the Headlines.
You know how much money the Domestic 3 still dump back into the U.S. economy (or even North America)?
It was the Germans that started Chrysler’s slide, by initially cutting big time, the interior budget(or so I’ve read). The wallstreet types approved the sale of then Chrysler Corp. to Daimler Benz, just to make a quick buck off of the stocks.

By: thoots

thoots — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:01:13 +0000

Just put a fork in it.

As more people get on the Internet and actually try to learn something about vehicles before they buy them, they’re learning how Chrysler is absolutely bottom-barrel in reliability, refinement, loyalty/repeat sales, and everything else.

Why even bother making more of this bottom-feeding stuff? Cut and run!

By: Dr Lemming

Dr Lemming — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:55:56 +0000

Watch the auto industry long enough and practically every discredited fad will return triumphantly. Take Chrysler’s K-car strategy. By the late 1980s it built virtually its entire passenger car line around the K-car’s platform, from the subcompact Sundance/Shadow to the revived Imperial.

Say what you will about the execution of this strategy, but you can’t argue that Chrysler hadn’t at last found a way to maximize its economies of scale.

Perhaps Chrysler needs to take another look at the plausibility of a “modular” platform for its passenger cars. Bonus points for figuring out how to do the same with its truck line.

By: KeithBates

KeithBates — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:51:04 +0000

If it winds up being 1/2 as reliable as a Mahindra
tractor, they may have a chance…

SteveL

By: hwyhobo

hwyhobo — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:10:55 +0000

Bring back K cars.

By: Runfromcheney

Runfromcheney — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:28:52 +0000

Flarn, Trishield, and Robbie:

I say bring back Cab-forward.

By: kars

kars — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:24:20 +0000

chrysler is burnt toast – except for the jeep brand

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:03:29 +0000

Robbie,

Great comment! I am not trying to one up you but I would prefer Chrysler to declare Chapter 7.

By: CommanderFish

CommanderFish — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:54:28 +0000

Chrysler has denied rumors that Nissan is making their next midsize, saying that that isn’t even on the table and that “We’re doing that on our own,” I believe the quote was.

By: Dimwit

Dimwit — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:38:35 +0000

Does anyone think that they can last beyond 2009?

By: NickR

NickR — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:26:55 +0000

As a die hard fan of vintage Mopars (despite their numerous shortcomings even during those years) please shoot Chrysler now, and abandon the name Dodge and Chrysler altogether.

By: Blunozer

Blunozer — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:06:11 +0000

Maybe Chrysler should join up with Fiat.

Then, when the relationship goes sour, Fiat could pay 2 Billion to get rid of Chrysler.

By: qa

qa — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:55:07 +0000

One has to believe that their US distribution network and the Wrangler & Caravan product line have “residual values”. No?

By: Robbie

Robbie — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:16:08 +0000

I say, bring Chapter 11…

By: TriShield

TriShield — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:58:51 +0000

Bring back good looking cars.

By: Flarn

Flarn — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:54:02 +0000

Bring back the Airflow.